


Mementos of a Past Life

by Pikachewy99



Category: Xenoblade Chronicles X
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-28
Updated: 2017-01-21
Packaged: 2018-08-27 14:24:02
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8404978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pikachewy99/pseuds/Pikachewy99
Summary: Some snippets of Life before Mira.





	1. In Theory...

Wataru stared at the sheet in front of him, the frown on his face growing deeper with every passing second. “No, no, that’s not right at all!” He set the papers on the keys, sighing. “There’s a certain _color_ each chord needs to have, you can’t just… Pick chords at random!”

“I’m _trying,_ alright?” Axel snatched the music back. “I’m not prodigy like you. All this chord progression and music theory crap is new to me.”

“At least you _get_ to be a Music Major.”

At the snappy remark, the annoyance fell off Axel’s face. For a few moments, he stared at his friend’s back. Whenever Wataru got really upset he wouldn’t let anyone see his face. That was something that hadn’t changed in all the years Axel had known him.

Finally, he spoke. “I’m sorry. That-”

Wataru snorted and turned around, glaring. “Maybe if you had actually _paid attention_ to theory during high school, you wouldn’t be having this problem.”

...And like always, Wataru was quick to forgive. Axel couldn’t help the grin that made its way across his face. “Hey, I just read the notes on the page. Back then, if I could do that, all that technical stuff didn’t really matter.”

A scoff, “And _that’s_ why you always bombed the written tests.”

“Hey, it’s not my fault that Proff liked to stress the circle of fifths every. Single. Damn. Day. I didn’t hear anything beyond ‘BEAGDCF’ is the order of sharps or whatever!”

“Well, of course!” The pianist stared at Axel with disbelief, as if it what he was saying went against all common sense. “You can’t write, let alone _understand_ music if you can’t explain the basis of it all. There’s a _reason_ he kept telling you to practice your scales. Also. It’s _BEADGCF_ , and that’s the order of _flats_. ...Christ, this is your major?”

Axel laughed, “I still find it hilarious how you’re not even in the program, but you know this stuff more than like, _all of the class_.”

“That’s not funny at all! Everyone should understand theory- especially you! A _trumpet_ in _first jazz_ shouldn’t be a clueless-” Wataru stopped and gave an exasperated sigh as the stupid look didn’t wipe itself off Axel’s face. “Here, give me that paper.”

Axel handed him the papers, “Are you going to cast a magic spell on it, oh music fairy?”

“Oh _shut up_.” Despite the words, his lips were turned up in a smile. Soon, his gaze became anazlyzing, and he pointed a set of notes scrawled across the staff. “You see right here? If you want to go for a jazzy feel, you should use a minor seventh chord-” Wataru went quiet, eyebrows furrowing.

Axel raised his eyebrows. “What’s with the hold up?”

“Axel. Did you. Write in. The fucking. _Pokemon theme_?”

“OH. THAT. _Well…_ ”

“ _AXEL._ ”


	2. Tea Leaves

    Hana had never been good at cooking. In fact, she was absolutely hopeless at it. The most she could manage were very simple microwavable meals, and even then, they more often than not would end up over, or under, cooked. Despite those facts, she was going to try it anyways. If there was one thing she was good at, it was gardening, and being kind. At least, that's what she thought. The two went hand in hand- flowers wouldn't bloom if they weren't treated with the utmost care. They had to be nurtured, sung to, and guarded from all harms- parasites, cold weather, humans, too. Only then could they grow to be strong, beautiful, and live out long lives.

    These were facts Hana knew well. All her life, she had been speaking the language of flowers. From the moment she had been able to walk, her dad would take her out to the tiny garden out back to help tend to his roses. He said that he hadn't been able to stop her from touching those petals, and when he had tried to take her back in the house, she had cried. He had laughed back then, joking that he never knew that by naming her after flowers, that she'd become so attached to them. The memory was so distant now. He had left the earth far too soon. Hana sighed, and in her sad nostalgia, pricked a finger on one of the thorns of the roses she was gathering petals from.

    She yelped and held the wounded finger, giving the flower a betrayed look that disappeared the moment it came. It wasn't the flower's fault that she had been spacing off. Hana nodded briskly to herself, he wouldn't want her to be sad, and after all the hard work he had done to support her, it would be rude of her to start sobbing again. She smiled to herself. That's right, she was picking the roses for him, after all. For that reason, she had to try her hardest to do everything the right way.

    Once her finger stopped bleeding, she muttered a quiet apology and a thank you before delicately plucking a couple more red petals. Would her dad be okay with her picking his flowers? Probably. Yes. Was it cheesy for her to use a flower that represented love to make tea for someone she loved? Well... Did she care?... Maybe a little bit. But it was the thought that counted, right? Before she could get discouraged, she put her tough face on. He was going to love it! He had to love it! Hopefully he would love it as much as she felt she loved him! Her heart fluttered at the thought, and her face flushed into crimson red. Gosh, what was she doing, getting ahead of herself? She quickly gathered the petals into a basket and rushed inside the kitchen before her thoughts could wander any more.

    She set the basket down on the counter. How had dad done it again? A saucepan, yes. Oh! And she needed to clean the petals too! She wouldn't want him getting sick, after all. While the petals were being washed, she gathered the rest of what she needed.

    Two cups of water in the saucepan? Check.

    Honey? Check.

    Now all that was left was to put the cleaned petals in.

    One by one, she laid the petals on top of the water. Even though they were no longer attached to the flower that they had once dressed, she still treated them gently. With compassion. With tenderness. With love. Those were the feelings she felt for the flowers she had brought to life, and were also the feelings she felt for the man she had picked them for. She wanted to see him smile. She wanted him to feel happy, like how she was happy when she was with him. She wanted to hear him laugh. She wanted to see him. Everyday. For the rest of her life.

 

* * *

 

    Sometimes it hurt, how much she loved him, but at the same time, she treasured the feeling with all her heart. He gave her strength. He made her feel like she mattered. He was a reason to keep on living. To not love him was out of question.

 

    In the living room, a man was waiting in anxious silence. Hana had said she had a surprise to show him, but she had been gone for an awfully long time. Was she okay? But right about the time he was about to call for her, a rosy scent drifted up his nose, and he could feel his face start to burn up in an oddly uncomfortable heat. The man sat back down, flustered and perplexed by his reaction. What was going on with him? What was that smell? Another whiff of it made the strange warm feeling swell inside his chest, and he clutched the chair for dear life. It was so weird, yet so comforting. He wanted the feeling to stay, yet at the same time, it frightened him. It was too new. Too unfamiliar. Too soothing. He didn't want to let his guard down.

    When the door clicked, he flinched, but relaxed upon seeing that Hana had made her return. She was holding a tea tray in her hands, and the scent was stronger than ever. "Sorry I kept you waiting!" A sheepish smile remained on her face as she closed the door behind her. "Making tea was harder than I thought it would be!... And I accidentally cut my finger, too." She set the tray down, showing off her bandaged pinkie with joking pride. The man pushed aside the strange feelings, his face immediately clouding with worry.

    "Are you okay? How did you cut your finger?"

    Hana only laughed, and sat down in the chair across from him. "Seeeecret~"

    At the frown that followed her words, she only laughed harder.

    "Maybe if you taste it, I'll tell you." She winked. "I worked real hard on it you know!"

    The man looked down at the cup she had poured for him. It was tinted dark pink, and the strong smell was drifting up from it. Though for some reason, it seemed Hana's company made it so he didn't feel as agitated. A soft smile made it onto his face as he picked the cup up. He knew she didn't like cooking, yet she still had made something for him. He wondered what warranted such a gesture. But, uh, he should probably stop looking at it and actually taste it.

    He brought the cup to his lips, and his eyes immediately widened when the flavor hit his tastebuds. Or rather, when a wave of feelings seemed to surge forth. The taste it left on his tongue was sweet and flowery, but the mark it left on his soul was deep, affectionate, and riddled with melodies of joy. It made him want to sing, to cry, to laugh. Startled, the man set the cup down, and Hana's expression fell.

    "Is it bad? Do you not like it?"

    For a long time, the man didn't respond. He could only sit in shocked silence, not knowing how to feel about the warmth that blanketed his heart, or the words that he had deciphered from the tea's silent song. The feelings had hit him so suddenly, and all his thoughts came to a grand pause.

    More silence.

    Could it be? Did she…

    Hana spoke up, "I'm sorr-"

    "It's good."

    She lifted her face. "Huh?"

    The man shook the musical language out of his head, and gave her a grin. A warm, beaming smile that Hana had never seen before. "It's really good, it's amazing."

    Her face lit up with a smile that mirrored the on the man's face. "Really? I'm so glad, I was so scared I'd disappoint you, and, and… I'm just so glad!"

    "You used roses to make this, right?" he said, looking at the cup in his hand. "That's what this smell is?"

    Hana nodded vigorously.

    The man sighed, but couldn't wipe the smile off his face. "So that's how you cut yourself. Let me help you next time, okay?"

_Next time…_ For a moment, Hana stared, dumbfounded, but slowly, an even bigger grin crawled onto her face.

   

"Okay!"


	3. Accidentals

"Careful, Axel."

At his friend's warning, Axel rolled his eyes. "For crying out loud Taru, we're not in elementary school any more. I can take care of myself."

Wataru snickered. "That's what you said the last time, but then you ended up burning your hand."

As his friend laughed, Axel scowled, his face flushing over upon remembering the incident. He grumbled as he put the butter in the pan, and set it to heat over the stove. "Well, this isn't going to be like the last time."

His friend seemed to ignore his comment, and the frown on his face deepened upon seeing the other's smirk.

"Whatever you say, Axel, whatever you say."

Axel rolled his eyes. "Jerk."

Wataru only grinned. "So, how's music theory been treating you?"

"Like hell, as always." He sighed, glancing towards the pan. It was taking a while to melt… Hm. Wouldn't hurt to turn it up a little more, right? "But I've been getting better."

"Good, good." A pause. "Quick- rules for hearing a Phrygian scale?"

"Listen for a flat two, then a flat five. If the interval between four and five is a whole step, then it's Phrygian…" Axel knitted his eyebrows together. "Or was it Locrian?..."

"No, no, you're right. If it was Locrian, it'd be a half step instead." Wataru grinned. "Glad you're finally getting your shit together with the theory."

"How could I not? You're constantly breathing down my neck when it comes to this stuff." Well, that, and he kind of needed to know it all to pass the tests in his theory class.

"I've said a thousand times already, but this 'stuff' is important."

Axel gave an exasperated sigh. "I know, I know."

Still smiling, Wataru leaned back in his chair. "Besides, haven't you moved up in chairs already? Told you the theory would help."

"Yeah, but…" Axel turned his gaze away, biting his lip. 

Wataru raised his eyebrows.

"I'm second chair. Second to JR."

The perplexed look turned into a glare. "And you're upset about that?!"

"W-well, yeah! Of course I am!" Axel said with an indignant huff. "They've been my  _ rival _ for a good few months now, and I'm  _ still _ behind them!"

It was Wataru's turn to sigh. "Come on, Axel. You're second chair. Last time I checked, you were what,  _ last _ ? You can't expect to shoot to the top right away, but you're making amazing progress as is."

"B-but-"

"No buts." Wataru leaned back in the chair, looking resigned. "Besides, being second chair means you get to rock all the solos. You may not be the one reaching those god-forbidden high notes, but you're in the perfect place to show off what you really can do."

He did have a point. "I… I guess…" 

"Just kick their ass already, Axel. They're one hell of a player, but you can beat them. I know you can. Otherwise I wouldn't try so hard to drill into your head that it's important to familiarize yourself with keys and chord progressions. There's only so much those ears of yours can do for you."

Axel smiled. "Did you just say something nice about me?"

"Don't make me take it back."

With a laugh, Axel moved to attend to the… Oh shit, the pan! He had totally forgotten about it! In a small panic, he rushed to check if the butter had fully dissolved…

Only to swear once hot drops splattered on his hand. "Son of a-" Turned out that turning the temperature up had been a bad idea. Great.

There was amused snickering behind him. "Didn't I tell you to be careful?"

  
The corner of Axel's mouth twitched. Yep, he was totally going to burn Wataru's food.


End file.
